do-little

American  

[doo-lit-l] / ˈduˌlɪt l /

noun

1. a lazy person; one who does little but does not admit to it.

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Etymology

Origin of do-little

First recorded in 1580–90; do ¹ ( def. ) + little ( def. )

Example Sentences

For many years, postal reform was the poster child of a do-little Congress.

From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2016

When he ran for reëlection, in 2014, the Los Angeles Times editorial board preceded its endorsement of him by calling the position a “notoriously do-little job.”

From The New Yorker • Feb. 12, 2015

Americans who remember Ike at all tend to recall a do-little President or a mangler of sentences at press conferences.

From Time Magazine Archive

Big, grey-haired Andrew F. Schoeppel, the kind of do-little statesman whose name is likely to elude the most earnest followers of affairs in the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

A small do-little sword or dagger, formerly worn by junior naval officers on duty.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir